Railroad switch and switch-stand



(No Model.) v

, y E. GORDON.

RAILROAD SWITCH AND SWITCH STAND.

Patented Aug. Z4

N. Farms. Phnbmnogmphf. wasmngm nc.

. permit of no motion.

UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVIN GORDON, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILROAD SWITCH ANO SWITCH-STAND.

erneiricarrom framing part of Letters Parent No. 348,006, atea August24, lese,

Application filed February 8, 1886. Serial No. 191,149. (No modeLt To@ZZ whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWIN GORDON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailroad Switches and Switch-Stands; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The object of my invention is a combined automatic railroad switch andswitch-stand so constructed that in case of a displacement of theswitch-rails they will move automatically and permit the safe passageot' trains, the switch-handle remaining locked.

I accomplish the switching` by the use of two iixed point-rails, eachbeing in combination with a pair ofjointed continuous switchrails andwith the guard-rails, the opposite jointed middle ends of theswitch-rails being connected at gage with the switch-bar, which beingmoved sidewise the switch-rails are set for the main line or for thebrauch track or siding.

In the drawings I show, in Figure l, a plan View of my invention; inFig. 2, a sectional view ofthe same on the line a: .c of Fig. l; in Fig.3, an enlarged plan view of the switchstand and target and theirconnections; in Fig. 4, an enlarged section of the switch-stand on theline 1j y of Fig. 3, and in Fig. 5 the same on line z z of Fig. 3.

'a a are continuous jointed rails; b b, iixed point-rails firmlyattached to the ties,so as to c c are guards with the ends reachingacross the point of junction of the continuous rails a a', and so placedas to prevent the wheels of the locomotive or cars from striking theends of the point-rails. d is a switch-bar for moving the continuousrails a a.

The inner ends of the movable rails and one end of the guard-rails arefastened together by placing a block, 0, of east-iron or steel, abouttwelve inches long, between the guard-rail and the switch-rail ends, thecenter of the block as to its length being placed opposite to the pointwhere the rail ends meet. A block of the same length is also placedopposite ou the other side of the rail ends, and

one opposite on the other side of the guardrail. These three blocksconfor-111 to the shape ot' the sides of the rails, except that one ofthem is slight-ly cut away at an angle from the center to permit of thelateral motion of the two rails which are parallel with the point-rails.The two outside blocks, o o', are ot` such a thickness as to have abearing on a line with the bottom of the connecting switchrail ends andthe guard-rails, and the guardrails and the several parts, as described,are firmly fastened together by the bolts p p. The center block, o, isof the proper thickness to hold the guard at that point at such adistance as will allow the wheel-flanges to pass. The parts are so adjusted that when the switch is openfor the main line 'or the branch theend ofthe point on one side is at agreater distance from the switch-railthan the width of the space between the connected guard-rail and therail ends. These connected parts rest upon the switch-bar d, with sidepieces, r r, riveted or welded to the switch-bar and turned 'up at rightangles, thus holding the rails at that'point at gage, and with the boltsthey hold the connected parts firmly together.

The switching is accomplished by moving the continuous rails in themanner described in Letters Patent to me, dated October 28, 1884, andnumbered 307,189.

A is a switch-stand composed of an oblong,

covered box, h, about twelve inches high inside, and having a flangedbottom, through which the stand is spiked to the tie beneath, and theframe h', supporting the switch-stand shaft g, on which shaft is placedthe switchhandle. Attached to the switch stand are two arms, a u, oneabove the other. Through these arms passes the target-shaft a, capableof turning freelyrin the sockets infthe arms. On the target-shaft is thetarget n, and at its base is the gear s, gearing into the ratchet w,which is attached to the switch-bar d. In the base of the oblong box hof the switch-stand is placed one end of the switch-bar d, the Width ofthe box inside and the width ofthe switch-bar being the same. On the topside of the end of the switch-bar thus inclosed,and which is about halfan inch thicker than the bar outside the boX, are the corrugations c,about half au inch deep, cut across the top surface at a right anglewith the switch-bar as to its length.

IOO

Placed on the top'of this corrugated end of thc switclrbar is the oblongblock f,o.f a suitable thickness, and of the same width as theswitchbar, its length heilig determined by the throw of theswitcl1,\vliich being two and onequarter inches, the length of the blockwill be so much shorter than the space inside the box7 so that the blockcan move forward and back two and onequarter inches. In the under sideof this block are corrugations accurately fitted to those on theswitch-bar. In the top surface of the block f is cut across the middlethe space t, in which the cam g on .the lower end of the uprightswitch-stand shaft g rests. The throw ofthe switch is determined by thelength ofthe cam g', which is properly adj usted for that purpose tothespace t. Round the upright switch stand shaft g is the spiral spring k,bearing on the collar c, attached to the switch-shaft.` rlhe upper endofthe spring is in contact with the movable plate i', which may beadjusted by means ofthe set-screwsj,l but the plate and the set-screwsmay be dispensed with, in which case the spring k will be made to fillthe space between the collar c and the under side of the cover of theswitch-v box. The spring is of such a size as to hold down theswitch-stand shaft with the cam end resting on the block f with suchforce as to prevent the interlocking (,-orrugalions from separating whenthe switch-rails are thrown by hand.

The operation is as follows: lf at any time the switch should bemisplaced for trains moving along the main track offthe pointerails, nottoward them, or for trains coming onto the main track from a siding orbranch`track, the locomotive-wheel flanges in either ease will forcesidewise the switehlrails a c into gage by forcing the switch-bar out ofthe interlocked corrugations on the end which is in connection with theswitch-stand, by pushing up the block f the required distance againstthe spring k, and in preventing the cam g from moving at the same timein a line with theswitch-bar. The distance from the center of oneinterlocking space and the next one is the same as the throw, and theswitch-bar can only move one such space forward and back, as in onecase, or when the switch-rails are forced sidewise into gage for themain track the end of the switch-barwill stop at the right place bycoming in contact with the back end of the switch-box h, and when theswitchrails are forced sidewise by wheel-flanges into gage for a traincoming onto the main track the switch-bar can only move as far as theStop z.

That I claii11,anddcsiie to secu rc by Letters Patent, is-

l. The blocks o o', thc bolts p, the guardrails c, the switch-bar d, andthe swit-clrrails a a, in combination with the fixed point-rails b,substantially as described.

2. The upright switclrsliaft g, with the collar c and cam g', the springk, the box h, the block f, with the canrspacet in the upperside and withthe corrugations in the under side, and ihe switch-bar d, with thecorrugated end c, in con'ibination, substantially as described.

3. The upright switclishaft g, with the cam end g', the collar v, thespring k, and the block j', with the cam-space t in the top side and thebottom corrngations, in combination with Switch-bar d,with thecorrugated end c,inter locking with the corrugations on the block j',the two pairs of switchrails a c, the blocks o o', bolts p, the attachedguardrail c, and the fixed point-rails b, substantially as described.

ICDVIN GORDON.

Vi tn esses:

THOMAS G. FannnLL, CHAs. H. DREW.

